Quantification of salt concentrations in cured pork by computed tomography

Eight pork loin samples were mounted in Plexiglas cylinders and cured for five days. Samples were scanned by computed tomography (CT) once every 24 h. At the end of the experiment, the cylinders were cut in 1 cm sections and analyzed for chloride. From image analysis of the CT images, concentration profiles were extracted and fitted to a diffusion model which included a term to account for a non-negligible mass transfer coefficient. It was found that CT provides accurate estimates of salt gradients in meat and it was suggested that this analytical method could be valuable in scientific research and product development.